Mourning
by CCangel
Summary: David tries to comfort Emma in the middle of the night as she grieves for Neal. One shot.


Mourning

David was in a deep sleep until he heard soft muffles coming from somewhere in the apartment. He turned to his right to see if it was coming from Mary Magaret. She was sleeping peacefully. He slowly crept out of bed careful not to wake his wife up.

He rubbed his eyes while trying to adjust his eyes to the dark. He scanned the room to find no one there. He turned to go back to the bedroom until he heard the noise get louder. It was coming from upstairs.

He quietly walked up the stairs and saw Emma with her back turned to him.

Emma was softly crying into the pillow. She could not believe the day's events. She did not understand how Neal could be gone. One minute she was laughing and joking with him and the next she was cradling him in her arms. She could still see his near lifeless eyes staring up at her, begging her to let him go.

David stood in the doorway not knowing how to approach the situation. He didn't want to startle her and cause her walls to go up. He didn't want to say something stupid either.

His mind thought back to the time they all thought Neal died through the portal. He spent a few minutes comforting her and she seemed okay. Then Neverland happened and he saw how much Neal and Emma cared for each other and how much Neal wanted to be there for Henry.

This time felt different. It felt more real and seeing his daughter cry broke his heart. He wished he could take on her pain for her and bear the burden himself.

He decided to walk toward her and squat down. "Emma," he called out. Her body went still but she didn't make an effort to face him.

"Emma, please look at me," David said. He waited patiently for Emma to turn around.

Emma didn't want to do this. She didn't want to have this conversation with David. She wanted to grieve alone.

"Emma, you can talk to me," David said. Emma closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said. "Just leave me alone. Please."

Instead of leaving he sat on the floor with his back resting against the bed. "I lost my mother unexpectedly. Her name was Ruth. You remind me of her. Strong and stubborn. She always wanted the best for me. I remember the day I found out I was George's son…it was one of the craziest days of my life. I went from being a shepherd to a prince. My world was never the same of course. I met Snow and then our lives became about getting the kingdom back."

He paused briefly.

"In all of that madness, I wanted Snow to meet my mother. I was so excited to have the two women I loved the most meet. I always knew that mother would someday attend my wedding. She would get to hold her grandchildren. If she had met you, she would probably never give you back. You would have stolen her heart like you stole mine."

He laughed softly picturing his mother's actions.

"'How did she die?" Emma asked.

"Regina's guards followed us. I told her to stay in the house. It wasn't until I saw her with blood on her clothes that I even realized she was out there. I held her in hand and begged her to hold on. Snow and I along with Lancelot-

"Lancelot? Like King Arthur's Lancelot?" Emma interrupted. "He's the one Cora-

"Yeah, him. Your mother told me about that," David said. "Anyway, we went to Lake Nostos to get water. It had healing properties. She didn't drink it. She gave it to Snow. The last thing I see at night whenever I dream of her is her smile and the proud look in her eyes. I know she loved me until her dying breath," he finished.

He heard Emma shift in the bed. "Neal loved you with his whole heart. You and Henry were the most important things to him. I know you felt something for him."

"Of course I did," she said sitting up. She leaned her back against the wall and sat cross-legged. "I loved him. He was the first person to really love me and I thought we had our whole lives together."

David sat on the edge of the bed across from her and cautiously put his hand on her leg rubbing it lightly. She didn't say anything for a while.

"I never got the chance to say how much I love him. I never will get that chance now," she admitted. She blinked her eyes while looking up at the ceiling. "He's gone. Really gone and we couldn't bring him back. What is the point of being a savior if I can't save the one person who taught me how to love. He gave me Henry. Yes, things went south but I thought I had more time."

She looked at David for some sort of answer.

"All I can tell you is that the pain isn't going to go away overnight. It is a process and it's not an easy one," David said. "But," he said moving closer to her. "Me and your mom are here. Whatever you need, don't hesitate to ask. You're not alone."

The problem was she felt a part of her just died along with Neal. A void was created and she didn't know if she could ever fill it again.

"How do you revive a dying heart?" she asked not meaning to say it aloud.

"With more love," he answered. He moved closer and she put her head on his shoulder. He put his hand on her head like he always did. He started to stroke her head.

Her body relaxed against his. "I know it hurts but it will get better."

"I don't believe you," she said softly.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

She straightened up and looked at him. "What?"

"Do you trust me?" he repeated. "Do you trust me to never lead you wrong?"

"Yes," she answered. "I trust you."

"Then believe me. Neal wouldn't want you to wallow in sadness and I'm not going to let you," David said. "You're strong, brave and you will get through this."

She let a small smile slip through and he smiled in turn.

"Thank you," she said. He kissed the top of her head.

"You're welcome," he answered. Emma put her head on his shoulder and they stayed in a comfortable silence.

He had no idea how much time passed but when he looked down Emma had fallen asleep. He gently removed himself from her and carefully laid her head on the pillow. He grabbed a blanket and put it over her.

"Goodnight princess," he whispered.

He was halfway out the door when he heard, "goodnight daddy." He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time because she rarely called him that.

He made his way downstairs and slipped into bed. He hoped his wife hadn't woken up during his absence but she had.

"How is she?" Mary Margaret asked. "I'm worried."

"She's okay now," David answered. "She'll take it one day at a time."


End file.
